Posts for: August, 2017

If you were to look for a superior car dealership, you'd want the best in product, service and amenities all under one roof. Picking a dentist to care for your oral health needs doesn't differ. State-of-the-art treatments, compassionate professionals who are good listeners and an ultra-comfortable environment--find them all at Dr. George Salem and Associates, your dentists in Braintree, MA. It's a multi-specialty practice which delivers the simplest of preventive care to the most complex of restorative and cosmetic treatments.

Preventive care in Braintree, MA

Preventive care forms the foundation of a great smile. From six-month cleanings and oral examinations to digital X-rays, and plastic sealants, the doctors believe that hands-on and patient-centered dentistry, combined with the latest in diagnostic technologies, renders teeth and gums that are attractive, healthy and long-lasting.

When you come to their beautiful and comfortable facility, expect to be treated with respect and the gift of time--that is, your needs will be met and your questions answered in a patient and detailed way. No matter the age, individuals who experience dentistry through Dr. Salem and his team find superior care.

Restorative care

Uniquely, this dental practice features an amazing array of restorative dental treatments. Plus, there's no need to refer complicated procedures out to other area dentists. Everything is handled on-site, including:

Tooth-colored fillings

Porcelain crowns

Periodontal care (Dr. Lann is our periodontal specialist)

Dental implants and bone grafting procedures

Bridgework and dentures

Extractions

Root canal therapy (accomplished with the benefit of a precision operating microscope)

TMJ therapy (for jaw joint problems)

Emergency dental care (immediate help for the unexpected)

Cosmetic care

Today's fast-paced and image-conscious world values personal appearance. To help you achieve a truly winning smile, your dentists in Braintree, MA, offer aesthetic dental treatments that combine precisely crafted smiles that capture and project the real you. After a cosmetic dentistry consultation with Dr. Salem or one of our other specialists, you will receive a treatment plan custom-tailored to meet and even exceed your expectations for a beautiful smile.

Dr. George Salem and Associates offer :

Porcelain veneers and no-prep Lumineers to disguise dental flaws

Composite resin bonding to repair small defects such as chips

BriteSmile and LifeLike Cosmetic Solutions teeth whitening (the most requested aesthetic service according to the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry)

One of the keys to a healthy mouth is daily oral hygiene. These tasks have one objective: remove plaque, a thin film of bacteria and leftover food particles, from tooth surfaces. Plaque fosters bacterial growth that can cause diseases like tooth decay or periodontal (gum) disease.

Brushing does an effective job removing plaque from the broad surfaces of teeth. But because plaque can also grow between teeth where your brush can’t reach, you also need to floss.

Unfortunately, flossing is a lot of people’s least favorite hygiene task. It can be time-consuming and requires a little more dexterity than brushing. As a result, it’s common for people to brush but not floss — and potentially miss plaque that could trigger dental disease.

There is an easier alternative to traditional string flossing: an oral irrigator. These countertop appliances deliver a stream of pulsating water at high pressure through a handheld device that looks similar to a power toothbrush. The user directs the water stream through the nozzle tip (which comes in various sizes) between the teeth. The water vibrates plaque loose and then rinses it away.

Besides people with limited dexterity, water flossers are also ideal for individuals wearing braces or other orthodontic hardware. Because of the metal hardware on and around teeth, flossing can be an arduous task. An oral irrigator makes it easier to floss and reduce plaque buildup, a perennial problem for orthodontic patients. In fact, one study of orthodontic patients found that using an irrigator with a tip especially designed for braces removed five times as much plaque as patients using only a manual toothbrush.

Of course, anyone can use an oral irrigator as an alternative to traditional flossing. Your dentist and staff can advise you on what to look for in equipment and provide instruction on how to use it. If traditional flossing isn’t your thing, consider an oral irrigator to get rid of plaque and keep your teeth and gums healthy and attractive.

In her decades-long career, renowned actress Kathy Bates has won Golden Globes, Emmys, and many other honors. Bates began acting in her twenties, but didn't achieve national recognition until she won the best actress Oscar for Misery — when she was 42 years old! “I was told early on that because of my physique and my look, I'd probably blossom more in my middle age,” she recently told Dear Doctor magazine. “[That] has certainly been true.” So if there's one lesson we can take from her success, it might be that persistence pays off.

When it comes to her smile, Kathy also recognizes the value of persistence. Now 67, the veteran actress had orthodontic treatment in her 50's to straighten her teeth. Yet she is still conscientious about wearing her retainer. “I wear a retainer every night,” she said. “I got lazy about it once, and then it was very difficult to put the retainer back in. So I was aware that the teeth really do move.”

Indeed they do. In fact, the ability to move teeth is what makes orthodontic treatment work. By applying consistent and gentle forces, the teeth can be shifted into better positions in the smile. That's called the active stage of orthodontic treatment. Once that stage is over, another begins: the retention stage. The purpose of retention is to keep that straightened smile looking as good as it did when the braces came off. And that's where the retainer comes in.

There are several different kinds of retainers, but all have the same purpose: To hold the teeth in their new positions and keep them from shifting back to where they were. We sometimes say teeth have a “memory” — not literally, but in the sense that if left alone, teeth tend to migrate back to their former locations. And if you've worn orthodontic appliances, like braces or aligners, that means right back where you started before treatment.

By holding the teeth in place, retainers help stabilize them in their new positions. They allow new bone and ligaments to re-form and mature around them, and give the gums time to remodel themselves. This process can take months to years to be complete. But you may not need to wear a retainer all the time: Often, removable retainers are worn 24 hours a day at first; later they are worn only at night. We will let you know what's best in your individual situation.

So take a tip from Kathy Bates, star of the hit TV series American Horror Story, and wear your retainer as instructed. That's the best way to keep your straight new smile from changing back to the way it was — and to keep a bad dream from coming true.